Taree High School year seven students were lucky to escape the scorching heat at the YMCA Manning Aquatic and Leisure Centre’s pool. The heat reached its peak at 38.4 degrees at 12.30pm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's Weather Observations for Taree Airport. 

Times readers took to Facebook to share the temperatures in their patch: 

At 11.30am Ainslee Higson reported 41 degrees in Wingham. At noon Annette O’Rourke reported 36 degrees in Old Bar, Alice Siecker reported 38 degrees in Mount George, Kitty Minett reported 36 degrees in Lansdowne and Ann Stevens reported 39 degrees in Firefly. At 12.30pm Melissa Ronney reported 42 degrees at Bulahdelah and Pam Campell reported 38.5 degrees in Chatham. 

Showing the potential death traps cars can become on hot days Glenn Davis said he’d left his car sitting in Taree for 10 minutes before the inside had reached 60 degrees. Residents are being urged to brace for a continued week of dangerously high temperatures, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting extreme heatwave conditions across the region.

Since Friday a low intensity heatwave has pushed across to the country’s east coast. The temperature is expected to hover around the mid-30s for the rest of the week, with possible thunderstorms later in the week.

The NSW Government urges residents to keep four key messages in mind when it comes to staying healthy during heatwaves. These include drinking plenty of water, keeping cool, taking care of others and having a plan. Others tips include: